Fire at top-floor factory in Mirpur building fully doused

A fire that broke out at a factory on the top-floor of a six-storey building beside Desh Polytechnic College on Kalshi Road in Mirpur 12 was fully extinguished in the early hours today (25 October), according to Fire Service officials.

Firefighters managed to completely douse the flames around 2:40am, said Khaleda Yeasmin, duty officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters.

Fire Service and Civil Defence said seven firefighting units worked to contain the flames around 12:05am.

According to initial reports, the fire at the building, which houses the Bibaho Bari Community Centre on the lower floors, started around 10pm yesterday (24 October). The first firefighting unit reached the spot at 10:27pm.

"The fire is under control, though not completely extinguished yet," said Md Saleh Uddin, deputy director of Fire Service Dhaka Division. "It appears that old furniture and papers were stored on the floor where the fire broke out. We will form an investigation committee to determine the cause of the fire and assess the extent of the damage."

Photo: TBS

Fire Service spokesperson Talha Bin Jasim said, "The top floor housed a readymade garment factory, but it was not confirmed immediately whether there was any worker inside when the fire started."

Photo: TBS

Eyewitnesses said that around 11:55pm, water spraying was temporarily halted as a Fire Service team entered the building to assess the situation inside. From outside, it appeared that the fire was largely under control.

No casualties were reported immediately, and the cause of the fire could not be determined right away.

Locals said thick smoke was seen billowing from the building shortly after the flames erupted, prompting panic among nearby residents. Very soon, the flames spread around the whole top floor.

Photo: TBS

Videos of the fire, which showed the raging flames coming out of all windows on the floor, went viral on social media quickly.